Words to Know in Bahasa Indonesia

Learning Bahasa Indonesia is not as hard as a lot of people will tell you. In fact, it is probably one of the easiest languages in the world to learn. If you are a first-time traveller to Indonesia then leaning a few simple phrases opens doors so to speak. People have said to me “What if I mispronounce it?” Truly, there is no need to stress on this because although you might get a few giggles from those you are talking to, they will in fact be more pleased that you are attempting to speak the language.

Here are a few greetings and civilities:

Good Morning (until 11 a.m) – Selamat Pagi

Good day (11 a.m. to 3 p.m) – Selamat Siang

Good afternoon (3 p.m. to 6 p.m) – Selamat Sore

Good Night (after 6 p.m) – Selamat Malam

What is your name? – Siapa Nama anda?

My name is… – Nama Saya….

Thank you – Terima kasih

You’re welcome – Kembali

How are you? – Apa kabar?

I am fine – Kabar baik

Please (asking for help) – Tolong

Please (giving permission) – Silakan

Sorry – Maaf

Excuse me – Permisi

Then there are those questions:

How much? – Berapa?

Whats the price? – Berapa harganya?

How many Kilometers? – Berapa Kilometer?

Where is…? – Di mana ada?

Which way? – Ke mana?

May I take a photo? – Boleh saya foto?

Where do you live? – Anda tinggal di mana?

What is this called in Bahasa Indonesia? – Apa namanya ini dalam bahasa Indonesia?

Do you have…? – Ada….?

Here are some more useful words and phrases:

I don’t understand – Saya tidak mengerti

I don’t want it – Saya tidak mau

I want to go to…. – Saya mau ke….

Yes – Ya

No – Tidak

Toilet – Kamar Kecil, WC (pronounced “way say”)

Telephone number – Nomor telepon

Hot – Panas

Spicy hot – Pedas

Cold – Dingin

Delicious – Enak

Armed with the above phrases you are now ready to get around Indonesia and enjoy conversations with all the interesting people you meet. Selemat Berjalan!